The knock came suddenly.

Sharp. Urgent.

Maya froze.

Another knock—harder this time.

"Maya."

Josh.

Her entire body tensed like a wire pulled too tight.

"I don't want to see him," she said immediately. "I don't want to hear him, I don't want—just tell him to go away."

"Maya—"

"I mean it," she snapped, turning to me. "Don't open that door."

Another knock. Louder.

"Maya, please."

Please. That alone made me pause. Josh didn't do please.

He knocked again. Not aggressive—desperate.

"Maya, just—just listen to me for a second, okay?"

She shook her head, backing away like if the door itself might betray her. "No. No, I'm not doing this."

The knocking didn't stop.

Something in me snapped.

"Okay, that's enough," I muttered, striding toward the door.

"Maddie—don't—"

Too late.

I yanked it open.

And there he was.

Josh.

And for the first time in maybe... ever—

He didn't look like himself.

His hair was a mess, still damp from the pool. His chest was rising too fast. His eyes— His eyes were red. Not angry. Not annoyed.

Desperate.

Behind him stood Luke, Henry, and Sophia.

All three quiet.

Watching. Waiting.

Luke met my eyes for a second and gave the smallest nod. Let him in.

I hesitated. Then stepped aside, trusting him like an body reflex .

Josh didn't wait. He walked in immediately.

"Maya—"

She turned away from him. "I told you I don't want to talk to you."

"I know," he said quickly. "I know, but I need—just five minutes. That's it."

"No."

"Maya, please—"

"I said no!" she snapped, spinning around. "What part of that is hard for you to understand?"

Josh stepped closer anyway. "The part where you don't actually mean it."

That did it.

"You don't get to decide what I mean!" she shouted.

I winced.

Yeah... this was about to get bad.

I slipped out, closing the door behind me as the first wave of yelling hit.

Outside, the hallway felt too quiet in comparison.

Luke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, jaw tight.

Henry rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... that's intense."

Sophia winced. "We probably shouldn't have let him in."

"No," Luke said quietly. "We should've." He said it so quietly that it made em wonder what did he know to think letting those two in the same room would be a good idea.

We all stood there, listening. Voices raised. Muffled, but sharp.

"Just listen to me."

"Listen to a coward? Yes because that's what you are, a coward. "

"A coward! Yes I know Maya more than anyone u know that! I fucking know that!"

"Then get out—"

"I won't, I can't, I guess I am done of being a coward."

"Sure you are—"

"I am. I am because I realised that I can't keep living in a lie, a lie that I created. Listen Maya I-"

"You left me—"

"I know. And that's the worse thing I ever did. I got away from you because it felt to real, I was afraid to ruin this... our friendship because— honestly I was so scared of how much I liked you it was insane. I — I have never felt like that. I felt like I wanted to stay with you for a long time, I wanted god— it was like I was already planning a life with you and I was so scared of what happened of you not feeling the same, in the same intensity, in the same way that I, I left."

"You are so stupid."

"I know. I know. I thought I needed to distract myself to ease down my feelings maybe they weren't so strong as I thought they were but— fuck. All I could do was think about you every day and every night, and I did not know how to deal with it. I just needed you—"

Then— nothing, pure silence. All four of us froze.

I looked at Luke.

He looked back.

Henry frowned. "That's... not good."

Sophia whispered, "Why did it stop?"

My heart started pounding.

"Josh?" I called, stepping closer to the door.

No answer.

Then—

A loud crash. We all jumped.

"What the hell was that?" I said.

Another noise—like something hitting the wall.

Furniture. Something heavy.

Henry blinked.

Then— He laughed. Actually laughed. Sophia covered her mouth, trying not to.

"Oh my God," she whispered, eyes widening.

"What?" I snapped. "What is it?"

Henry looked at me, still half-laughing. "That's not fighting."

I frowned. "What do you mean that's not—what else would that be?"

Sophia glanced at Luke, then back at me, clearly trying to decide if she should say it.

Luke just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

And then it clicked.

Oh.

Oh.

I stared at the door.

Then back at them.

"...you're kidding."

Another thud from inside.

Henry shook his head, grinning. "I don't think we should interrupt."

Sophia nodded quickly. "Definitely not."

I crossed my arms, still staring at the door like it had personally offended me. "Unbelievable."

Luke let out a quiet huff of laughter beside me.

"They went from war to..." I gestured vaguely toward the door, "...that?"

"Seems efficient," he said.

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the small smile pulling at my lips. At least they fixed it, I guess and it looks like their story is way more detailed than I thought I will need further details after Maya finishes destroying her room.

I glanced at Luke.

He was already looking at me.

And just like that— The tension shifted again.

Different now. Quieter. But still there.

Maddie's point of view

We stayed there a second too long.

Outside that door.

Outside their mess.

Luke was still looking at me.

Not casually. Not by accident.

Looking.

And I felt it.

That shift.

The same one from last night. From the snooker room. From ten years ago in a stupid tent near a beach.

Too much history.

Too much... something.

And then—

Victoria.

Her voice earlier. Her hand on his arm. "Something you left at my place."

My jaw tightened.

Nope.

Not doing this.

"Don't," I muttered, more to myself than to him, and pushed off the wall.

I started walking.

Away.

"Maddie."

I ignored him.

Past the hallway.

Past the glass doors.

Outside.

The air was warmer now, sun high, staff moving around like ants preparing for the wedding rehearsal. Waiters carrying trays, someone trimming the grass, the wedding planners arranging chairs in perfect rows.

Everything neat.

Organized.

Unlike my brain.

"Maddie."

Footsteps behind me.

Of course.

I kept walking.

"Maddie, can we just—"

"No," I said, not stopping.

He caught up anyway. "You're not even letting me—"

"I said no."

We passed the planners setting up the aisle. White fabric, flowers, someone adjusting ribbons.

Perfect love.

Perfect timing.

Perfect everything.

God, I wanted to kick something.

"Maddie, stop for a second."

I stopped.

Spun around.

"Why?" I snapped. "So you can say something you didn't mean again?"

His expression tightened. "That's not fair."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, fake sweet. "Do you want me to be fair now? Because yesterday you didn't seem very interested in fairness."

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm trying to talk to you."

"And I told you I don't want to."

"Well, I do," he shot back, frustration slipping through. "So can you just—"

"No, Luke."

That stopped him.

For a second.

Then, quieter, "This isn't just about yesterday."

I laughed. "Oh, really? Then what is it about?"

He hesitated.

There it was again.

That pause.

That thing he always did.

And suddenly I was so tired of it.

"See?" I said, throwing my hands slightly. "You don't even know what you want to say."

"I do," he said. "You just won't let me say it."

"Because I already know how this goes," I replied. "You say something, then you take it back, then you pretend it didn't happen, and I'm the crazy one for remembering it."

"That's not—"

"Or," I cut in, voice sharper now, "you go and talk to Victoria instead."

That did it.

He frowned. "What?"

I crossed my arms. "Yeah. Let's talk about that."

"Maddie—"

"No, no," I said. "You wanted to talk? Let's talk."

His jaw tightened. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Oh, really?" I stepped closer. "Because she seemed pretty confident earlier. 'Something you left at my place'? That sounds like something."

His eyes flashed. "I didn't go to her room."

I let out a small, disbelieving laugh. "Sure."

"I'm serious."

"And I'm supposed to just believe that?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I shot back. "Because you said it? Because you're suddenly honest now?"

His expression hardened. "Why do you even care?"

That question—

It hit wrong.

Too direct.

Too real.

So I did what I always do.

I deflected.

I shrugged, looking away like it didn't matter. "I don't."

He didn't buy it.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "You do."

I scoffed. "No, I don't."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"Because," I snapped, turning back to him, "we are in a fake relationship, Luke."

The words hung between us.

Sharp.

Clear.

"And if we're doing this whole thing," I continued, "you could at least try a bit harder not to make it look ridiculous."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "That's what this is about?"

"What else would it be about?" I shot back.

He stared at me.

Longer this time.

Like he was trying to see through the lie I just told.

And the worst part?

A small, stupid part of me—

Hoped he would.